Content Sutra, Ep. 3: Glenn Greenwald on the Future of Investigative Journalism

Will investigative journalism survive?

That question is on our minds a lot at Contently. In fact, two years ago, our Twitter account lit up after PandoDaily’s Hamish McKenzie wrote an article entitled, “What if Contently Bought ProPublica?” Immediately, it was an appealing idea; at the time, half of our employees had backgrounds in journalism, and during happy hours, we usually fretted about the future of the fourth estate.

Of course, we couldn’t actually afford to buy ProPublica, but it did inspire Sam Slaughter, our VP of content, to start the Contently Foundation for Investigative Journalism, a nonprofit that provides journalists with the platform and financial resources to report and distribute stories that matter, in the summer of 2014. Helmed by Brad Hamilton and featuring talented reporters like Dan Patterson, the foundation won the ASJA Award for Investigative Journalism in its first year. The success was a promising sign—if a tech startup like Contently could help support investigative journalism, maybe others could too.

For our third podcast, Shane and I decided to focus on the future business models for funding investigative journalism, bringing in Sam and Brad to the discussion. Our associate editor Dillon Baker also snagged an interview with Glenn Greenwald (starts at 33:35), the Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist famous for his series of reports on U.S. and U.K. global surveillance programs that were based on classified information disclosed by Edward Snowden.

It was a lively media discussion, and if you’re interested in the future of the fourth estate, you can give it a listen below or download the podcast on iTunes.